


Anything for You

by snooperj, TheDarkShadow



Category: Japanese Actor RPF, Real Person Fiction, Tenimyu RPF, Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Behind the Scenes, Drama, Friendship, M/M, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-12 09:41:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9066322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snooperj/pseuds/snooperj, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDarkShadow/pseuds/TheDarkShadow
Summary: Three Perfect Pairs from the world of Tenimyu and their adventures going through life as a couple. All starting from a Dream Live for both 1st and 2nd Seigaku casts entitled Dream Live 3 1/2.





	1. Dream Live 3 1/2

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: Of course, none of the authors of this story own or personally know the actors written here, but are mere fans of the musical series and the corresponding actors written about. Everything that progresses in the story is the creation of their own witty imaginations.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 1 introduces us to our main protagonists during rehearsals and setting up for DL 3 1/2, and covers two particular dates on the timeline - April 20 and May 3, 2006.

+++April 20, 2006+++

Aiba Hiroki, the second cast Fuji, walked toward the dressing room; they were going to practice the newest Dream Live where both first and second Seigaku casts would be there. "I don't think I'm the first one-"

"Aibacchi?" a voice said and Aiba turned around to greet the person behind him.

"Kimeru-senpai! Ohayou! I thought you would be coming in with Taki-senpai today," he assumed.

Kimeru, the first cast Fuji, shook his head. "Nah, Eiji had a meeting with Ueshima-sensei last night and told me to go on ahead."

Aiba chuckled. "So your date was off?" he asked cheerfully.

Kimeru walked past him, into the dressing room. "I don't know what you mean, Aiba," he said off-handedly.

Aiba fought down his laughter as he followed.  _'The date was off, indeed,'_  he thought.

"And how about your night with Shirotan?" Kimeru asked slyly, successfully killing the younger Fuji actor's laughter.

"I don't know what you mean, senpai," Aiba said hurriedly as he went to look at himself in front of the mirror with his name on it.

Kimeru chuckled in victory. "It's way too early to defeat me, Aibacchi," he said in a Fuji-ish way.

* * *

Takigawa Eiji, the first cast Tezuka, excused himself from Ueshima-sensei's room before heading for the dressing room.  _'It's going to be an exciting experience working with the Seigaku second cast,'_  he thought. Upon arriving, he saw that both Kimeru and Aiba were already there, nodding over to them. "Seems you two are the earliest to arrive," he observed, looking around before moving to his assigned locker.

Aiba smiled mischievously. "Yes, senpai. I'm early because I didn't spend the whole night thinking about... _things_..." he said as he grabbed his prop racket. "I'll be at the rehearsal stage," he said with a smile and a bow towards the two. "So that you can have some alone time," he added quietly as he passed Kimeru.

Kimeru glared at him but smiled instantaneously as he faced Takigawa. "So what's the plan today?" he asked with a cheerful tone.

Takigawa eyed Aiba's exit before he turned to Kimeru upon hearing his inquiry. Clearing his throat, he replied, "Ueshima-sensei's asked me to head the practice today. Draw out any new ideas for this Dream Live from everybody." He paused and picked up two rackets from the basket and handed one to Kimeru. "Ikkou?"

Kimeru took the racket but sat back down. "In a while...that Aiba kid can really get to your nerves..." he answered as he took a swig of water from the water jug he brought along.

Takigawa took a seat beside him. "Don't mind it." He turned to the door to see Aoyama Sota, the first cast Inui, approaching. "Ah, Aoyama-kun," Takigawa greeted.

"Takigawa-kun. Kimeru-kun," he greeted in return, moving to retrieve his prop Inui glasses and slipped them on.

"Anxious to get started?" Takigawa inquired.

Aoyama adjusted his glasses in the Inui manner. "Atarimai da."

"Yes...he's naturally irritating...if only I can get back at him by getting some information about him and Shirota…" Kimeru muttered.

"If you're not careful, you'll end up becoming more of an Inui than a Fuji, Kime," a new voice said.

"That what do you suggest...Moriyama?" Kimeru asked the first cast Momoshiro, Moriyama Eiji.

"Doing Inui doesn't suit you at all," another new voice called.

Moriyama turned to see Gomoto Naoya, the first cast Kaidoh, already with his green bandana in place. "That's what I was supposed to say!" he said before turning back to Kimeru. "But you _do_  need to figure out how he knows."

Takigawa got back on his feet. "Enough of this... We'll discuss this later. Right now we all need to gather at the rehearsal area. Put this behind you until today's session is over with. Ii na, Kimeru?"

Kimeru eyed them. "Only the first cast knows about Eiji and me...unless one of you squealed on us…" he said in a warning tone.

Moriyama and Aoyama shook their heads. "Not us, and you can bet it wasn't the Golden Pair," Moriyama answered.

"Then who...? Argh... I'll figure it out later," Kimeru said as he stood, taking his abandoned prop racket. "Let's go or else Ueshima-sensei will have our necks."

* * *

Shirota Yuu, the second cast Tezuka, was already in the rehearsal area with Yanagi Kotaro, one of the two Echizens through the two casts, discussing their old routines, both with a prop racket in hand.

Aiba reached the rehearsal area and waved at the two. "Shirotan! Yanagi-kun!" he called out as he went towards them.

Shirota was just recounting their routine from Dream Live 3rd before he heard Aiba. "Ah, Aibacchi!" he called.

"Juus!" Yanagi greeted in character.

Aiba chuckled. "In character already, Yanagi-kun?" he teased as he sat down near the prop Ponta machine. "Where are the others?" he asked.

Shirota checked his cell phone. "We're pretty early. The call time was at 10 o'clock, and we still have 20 minutes at most to wait," he replied, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Yanagi turned to Aiba. "Did you bump into somebody before coming here, Aibacchi?"

Aiba tilted his head to the side in thought. "Just Kimeru-senpai," he answered.

"And you managed to get on his nerves again didn't you?"

"Mah~ That's not a good thing, Aibacchi..."

Aiba looked up and saw two people enter the area. "Nagayama-senpai! Tuti-senpai!" he said as the first cast Golden Pair, comprised of Nagayama Takashi and Tsuchiya 'Tuti' Yuichi as Kikumaru and Oishi respectively, waved at them.

"That's already twice that's happened this week, isn't it?" Shirota asked with a shrug.

Aiba chuckled. "It was just revenge for yesterday," he answered.

Nagayama sighed. "You're asking for a Fuji war, Aibacchi..."

"Omoshiroi..." Araki Hirofumi, the second cast Inui, said, moving into the room with his notebook in hand, his Inui glasses already in place.

Yanagi lowered his cap. "Already getting into character, Araki-kun?"

* * *

Takigawa led the way towards the rehearsal area. Abe Yoshitsugu, and Kotani 'Konii' Yoshikazu, the first and second cast Kawamuras, Kaji Masaki, Kujirai Kousuke, Suzuki 'Zukki' Hiroki and Adachi Osamu, the second cast Momoshiro, Kaidoh and Golden Pair Oishi and Kikumaru respectively, joined the group along the way.

Upon arriving, Takigawa did a mental head count before nodding, moving up on stage. "It appears both the first and second Seigaku casts are here, save for Endo-kun, who'd be a little late. We can begin, then."

Kimeru saw Aiba who waved merrily at him. He looked away and focused his attention on Moriyama.

Aiba frowned. "He's the embodiment of Fuji's evil side," he muttered to himself.

"Ueshima-senpai left me in charge, so for today we'll be pitching in ideas for this new Dream Live. Think of this as a showdown between the two casts besting each other on stage," Takigawa announced.

"So in short, we'll be doing a lot of singing competition on stage, na?" Kaji inquired.

"Seigaku showdown..." Kimeru muttered with his "Fuji smile".

"Sounds interesting..." Aiba followed, unconsciously mimicking the action, effectively causing the others to back away from the two Fujis.

_'We're all going to die...'_  Tuti thought.

"I suggest fan-service...that's what gets us the audience's attention," Kimeru recommended. "Besides,  _some_ …" Kimeru paused as he glanced at Aiba and Shirota, who were standing beside each other before continuing. "…would be very natural about it all. Like it's actually true," he finished.

Aiba stepped up calmly. "I agree with Kimeru-senpai, after all...he can do the Tezuka-Fuji scenes with Taki-senpai with no problems whatsoever," he said.

Kimeru chuckled. "That's right...we wouldn't get...  _carried away_  like  _some_  people," he challenged as he placed a hand under his chin in a Fuji-like manner.

"Yes, we  _are_  all pretty professional," Aiba said and the two chuckled simultaneously.

Abe and Kotani, the two closest to them besides Shirota and Takigawa backed away with the rest of the cast.

Both Shirota and Takigawa crossed their arms in a Tezuka-like manner and shrugged simultaneously. ' _Mattaku...'_  Takigawa thought.

The two Inui actors turned to one another. "It seems it can't be helped," Araki stated.

Aoyama adjusted his glasses. "It clearly seems so."

Abe blinked. "Shirotan and Aibacchi…Kime-kun and Takigawa-kun?" he asked incredulously.

"You didn't know, Abe-kun?" a voice behind all of them said.

"Ueshima-sensei!" Abe said with a bow as the rest followed suit.

"So what seems to be happening?" the TeniMyu director asked.

 Tuti stepped forward. "Uh... Kimeru and Aibacchi seem to have...er...a rivalry going on," he tried to explain.

"I expected as much...” the director considerd as he looked at the two Tezukas. "And what do you plan to do about this?" he asked.

Shirota stepped forward. "Kime-sempai's idea is very tempting, and I for one have no protests against it if we are thinking about the greatest appeal to the fans."

Takigawa nodded. "Same here."

"So...wait...let me ask one little thing..." Nagayan stated as he raised a hand. "The four of you...are you guys really..." he asked, trailing off.

Shirota merely grinned while Takigawa adjusted his prop glasses in pure Tezuka fashion.

Nagayan was going to reply when they heard something hit the floor. “A-re?" he said as he turned around. "O-oi! Endo-kun fainted!" he said as he rushed over to Endo Yuya, their second Echizen, who had just arrived.

Aiba grinned as he looked at Kimeru. "So much for keeping it a secret, ne senpai?"

Kaji grinned. "Omoshiroi!"

Ueshima clapped his hands together. "It's decided, then!"

"Question now is..." Aoyama said as he glanced to the four in question once again. "What kind of scenes are we allowed to show? Ueshima-sensei?" he asked as he looked at their director.

Ueshima was already turning to leave, waving a hand over his shoulder. "That's up to you! I'll see the final product next week and express my opinion on it by then!" he called. "Takigawa-kun's in charge of rehearsals, so make sure you do as he says!"

All eyes turned toward the first cast Tezuka.

"So what's the plan, Buchou?" Kimeru teased.

"How about we revive Endo-kun first?" Nagayan said, frantically fanning the said boy.

Aoyama moved towards Endo and pulled out a beaker of supposed Inui juice. "Perhaps some special Inui Juice?" he tried.

"Baka, Sota!" Nagayan said as he hit him upside the head. "I meant a realistic way of getting him to wake up!"

Tuti sighed. "He'll wake up eventually, Takashi... Leave him alone so that we can plan the Dream Live..." he said.

"Wait... Are we going to have guests? Like the Hyoutei or Fudomine cast?" Abe clarified.

Aiba shrugged. "You seriously want to have the switching people around?" he muttered.

"It would be difficult already planning both Seigaku casts to be on stage..." Shirota pointed out.

Aoyama rubbed his head and muttered something about his drink being something that really could revive Endo but was ultimately ignored.

"Are we going to be using old routines and songs for this new one? Like the first cast doing their rendition of a song and the second cast doing theirs?" Gomoto inquired.

"It would be interesting to see both casts do 'VICTORY'…" Araki pointed out as he went over to the side stage.

Aiba thought for a moment. "We could also do another photo shoot...or better yet...we can have a "video showdown" just like DL 1," he suggested.

"But wouldn't that be difficult with the double roles?" Adachi asked him.

Kimeru looked at Aiba for a moment before smiling. "I think I get it. The video clips would be the "showdown" for both casts..."

"Exactly," Aiba answered.

Moriyama grinned. "I'm beginning to like that idea..."

"What exactly will everybody have to do in their respective videos?" Yanagi inquired.

"Well...since our theme is fan-service... We do the videos by pairs," Kimeru said.

Aiba nodded. "Inui and Kaidoh, Oishi and Eiji...the two Taka's doing random things and..."

The two Fujis looked at each other and the rest swore they saw sparks appear between them. "Tezuka and Fuji," they said at the same time, wearing similar smiles.

Tuti went over where the two Tezukas stood and patted them on their shoulders. "I'll pray for your souls," he said as he went over to his partner and the other Golden Pair to talk about their video clips.

Takigawa and Shirota both raised eyebrows at Tuti before looking at each other. Shaking their heads, they moved to their corresponding pairs.

Kaji looked around. "Does that mean Echizen and Momoshiro pair up?" he asked.

Yanagi lowered his cap. "There's nobody else to pair up with, since the Kawamura-senpais are going solo," he replied feebly.

* * *

"So, Shirotan...what do you think should we do?" Aiba asked.

"GOLDEN PAIR!" The Oishi-Kikumaru group cheered suddenly.

Kimeru chuckled. "They're fast thinkers…" he pointed out.

"Do you have any suggestions, Aibacchi?" Shirota asked.

Takigawa turned to the pair of Oishi-Kikumaru actors. "To make this less embarrassing for some, I'm giving you all the freedom to find a private spot to think up of your little skit. Practice on it and be back here in half an hour!" he announced to the group at large.

"Well...I think we should let Kimeru-senpai suggest things since he is more experienced in the field," Aiba said as he watched the Golden Pair group head towards the backstage.

Kimeru smiled at Aiba. "That is very flattering, Aiba-kun... I would suggest that we simply make use of a side story. Perhaps something that could have happened behind the scenes of an episode."

"How about the time when Tezuka was in Germany and Fuji was looking around the training area while the rest were having matches?" Aiba suggested.

 Kimeru nodded. "That could work...the other scene could be..."

The two Fujis looked at one another and smiled before turning to the two Tezukas. "During the time Tezuka and Fuji were alone in the locker room after Fuji's match with Echizen..." they said in perfect synchrony.

"When Fuji was..." Kimeru began.

"…drenched under the rain," Aiba finished as they advanced on the two Tezukas.

"Ii data..." Aoyama muttered as he passed by to get his bag.

"We have things to discuss, then," Shirota said with a smile, taking Aiba's wrist and pulling him away.

Takigawa nodded to Kimeru. "We should get going as well," he replied, smirking.

"I get the rain scene!" Aiba called out as he was pulled away.

"Aa. I'll get the Germany episode instead," Kimeru said with a wave.

"Is it me or did they just agree..." Aoyama muttered.

Araki blinked. "Rikutsu Janai!" he exclaimed.

The Kaidohs rolled their eyes. "Data men..." they muttered.

Aoyama turned to Gomoto. "Saa. We have our own scenes to think about."

Araki nodded. "Sou..."

* * *

"What did you do that for, Shirotan?" Aiba asked with a cute frown as they entered the backstage area.

"Ah, gomen. I was assuming you wanted some privacy in excessively planning this particular scene," Shirota apologized.

Aiba chuckled. "Silly Shirotan, who would want to pass up a chance to annoy Kime-senpai?" he said as he placed his arms around the taller boy's waist pulling him a bit closer. "I have a few ideas...but I want to hear yours first," he said.

"Apparently me," Shirota replied with a grin before moving on to the task at hand. "As to any ideas with our particular scene..." He paused for a moment to contemplate, bringing his hand up and running his hands through Aiba's hair.

Aiba smiled softly, "Maybe Shirotan would like a little inspiration?" he teased.

"Do share," Shirota whispered into Aiba's ear.

Aiba chuckled. "How does Shirotan get inspired? Is there anything I can do?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Since it would be a shame to not get any ideas from the great Shirota Yuu…" he added as he moved his arms around Shirota's neck.

Shirota chuckled. "Since this is something between us, inspiration can come in any way you would feel it best, Aibacchi. Besides…" Shirota paused before continuing. "I have enough ideas to go around so you won't have to worry about that."

Aiba smiled at him before leaning over and kissing him. "So... what were those ideas, buchou? Care to share them now?" he asked in mild amusement.

Shirota nodded. "Aa." He moved to strike a thinking pose but miserably failed. "Though knowing you, you would already know what I'm thinking, na, Aibacchi?"

Aiba smiled mischievously "We might..." he said. "But my idea would cause TeniMyu to be banned for minors," he said with a sly smile.

Shirota laughed. "No, we wouldn't want that. Something that's both minimal and fulfilling at the same time to keep even the kids happy just watching."

Aiba laughed along. "We could do what you and Kato did during the showdown...the proximity I mean, and then we could just leave it to their imagination..." he said. "Oh, and it was also my fault why Kato's hair got bleached "accidentally" that week, just to let you know," he added.

* * *

"I never thought that we'd actually agree on something," Kimeru admitted with a chuckle. "So let's see... in the anime, the regulars visited Tezuka in Germany... Hmm... What could we pull out from there? I wonder…" Kimeru thought as he looked at his partner.

Takigawa chuckled. "Finding an opportunity to be alone is not so much of a problem for them while in Germany, is it?"

Kimeru nodded. "That's true; there are a lot of opportunities for the two of them to have a scene... But what kind of scene I wonder..." he said as he paused for a moment. "Why did I get the sudden feeling that while we're racking our brains for our part, the other pair is busy flirting?" he said suddenly, but shrugged afterwards.

Takigawa shook his head. "That's because you two think alike."

Kimeru glared at him before slumping over to the prop bench just a few steps away. "I do NOT...DEFINITELY not think like that immature...worm dancer!" he stated darkly.

"Then what was all that agreement and synchronization earlier on?" Takigawa fired back.

Kimeru glared at him again in a more intense manner. "I hate you..." he said quietly, not entirely meaning what he said.

Takigawa was silent for a long moment before bringing up a finger and poking Kimeru on the forehead. "You don't mean that," he pointed out flatly.

Kimeru pouted. "No I don't..." he admitted as he looked up at Takigawa.

Takigawa smirked. "Well, forget I said anything and let's plan for this properly," he said.

Kimeru nodded. "So let's see...what can we do..." he started once more as he thought for a moment. He then noticed Takigawa just standing in front of him, so he pulled him down to sit beside him on the bench. "Much better," he said happily.

Takigawa began brainstorming promptly after Kimeru had him sit down.

* * *

Aoyama smirked when the two Inui-Kaidoh pairs finally settled on two different episodes to base their presentation on.

Araki adjusted his glasses. "Saa, ikkou yo, Kujirai-kun. We have things to discuss and rehearse!" 

* * *

"And that's why there will be two Echizen's in each video," Moriyama finished explaining to his group.

* * *

Shirota stroked his chin. "We could have Kotani-kun come in and supposedly ruin the moment. Or..."

Aiba considered this for a moment. "Kotani...or Adachi," he corrected as he took a few steps back to lean on the wall.

Shirota scratched his cheek. "Or we could 'let nature take its course', if you know what I mean," he stated.

Aiba shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't follow." he admitted.

Shirota adjusted his prop glasses accordingly as he stated one word. "Lightning." Aiba looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling.

"Hmm... But that would just cause Fuji to jump forward instead of back..."

"The lights could go off right after that moment, of course," Shirota implied.

Aiba grinned slyly. "So that no one would have to see?" he asked.

Shirota nodded.

Aiba smiled. "That's good enough to keep the fans happy... So shall we meet up with Kimeru-senpai and Takigawa-senpai so that we can start our part?" he asked.

Shirota nodded. "Let's get going."

Aiba laughed as he pulled Shirota out of the dressing room. "Come on, before I get tempted to lock ourselves inside this room for reasons not related to our current job."

Shirota followed suit. "Save it for later when practice is over."

* * *

Kimeru thought for a moment. "How about Fuji gets lost in the building where Tezuka is staying in and he accidentally finds Tezuka's room?" he suggested.

"Before Tezuka shows the team to his room?" Takigawa clarified.

Kimeru nodded. "Yes before that. Let's say Fuji was supposed to be looking for the bathroom and eventually reached that area," he explained.

"But how are we going to put Tezuka in the scene?" Takigawa pondered, trying to recall the episode correctly. "Did Tezuka show them around immediately when they arrived?"

"No he didn't..." Kimeru said. "They waited for him at the lobby, remember?"

"That's why I had to confirm," Takigawa said after a slight chuckle escaped him.

"So how does Tezuka come in?" Kimeru said as he started to think again.

"If that's the case, Fuji could've gone off to the bathroom first while the rest were waiting for Tezuka. Incidentally, it was near his room, so when Tezuka had decided to meet up with them, bumped into Fuji and..." Takigawa paused, turning to Kimeru.

"And uses the time presented to him to release all the pent up emotions and words that he has been keeping since he left!" Kimeru finished. "Eiji! You're a genius!" he said as he practically half-glomped his partner.

Takigawa was taken aback for a moment before smirking.

Kimeru grinned up at him. "Hey..." he said suddenly.

"What is it?" Takigawa inquired.

"I meant the opposite when I said I hated you..." Kimeru said as he placed his hands around Takigawa's neck.

Takigawa smirked. "Glad to hear it."

Kimeru smiled as he pulled Takigawa towards him. 

* * *

Aiba, who was looking through an opening at the door, frowned. "They're flirting around while we were thinking of a scene?" he whispered at Shirota.

"They might've done things the opposite way," Shirota suggested.

Aiba's eyes widened. "Eww... I am NOT seeing our senpais make out!" he hissed as he grabbed Shirota's hand and used it to cover his eyes.

Shirota looked through the crack before pulling Aiba away. "That's because we're not supposed to be sneaky about it."

* * *

Takigawa looked longingly at Kimeru before turning to the door.

Kimeru smiled in a Fuji-like manner. "Well, Eiji? Are you going to wait for me to make the first move?" he teased.

Swearing he saw a glimpse of someone through the crack of the door, Takigawa returned his gaze to Kimeru. "Of course not," he replied, craning his neck as he directed himself towards Kimeru.

* * *

Aiba groaned and followed Shirota quickly, not wanting to see or hear anymore than he already did.

Shirota sighed with relief at having escaped detection and looked around. "I wonder if the Inui-Kaidoh pairs have thought up of their scenes..."

Aiba sighed. "If only the senpais weren't busy making out then we could already start filming..." he whined.

"Who's making out?" Aoyama said, suddenly popping out from nowhere.

Shirota turned calmly to Aoyama. "It's nothing, Aoyama-senpai. Is your group finished?"

Aoyama adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Yeah, we're already chatting about some projects we did in the past. Aiba, I didn't know that you did a yaoi production with Takumi before. Does Shirota know about Sukitomo?" he asked slyly.

Aiba nodded. "Yes, senpai. Shirotan was the first to know when I got the offer before."

"It was to get rid of any future arguments over it," Shirota explained.

Aiba nodded after that statement.

"I see... You two are pretty good when it comes to relationshi-" Aoyama was cut off when they heard a loud thud from where the second cast Tezuka and Fuji came from.

"O-oi! Tuti!" Nagayan exclaimed as he shook his partner who lay unconscious on the ground.

"I think Kimeru-senpai and Takigawa-senpai have been found out," Aiba commented with a sly smile.

* * *

Abruptly breaking off the kiss, the pair heard the noise as Takigawa moved towards the door and swung it forward, seeing Tuti unconscious on the ground. "What happened?" he demanded.

Shirota merely sighed as the other cast members started huddling around the area.

"What happened?" Kaji inquired. "We were just about to agree on our chosen scenes!"

Moriyama agreed. "Not that it's difficult pinpointing which ones to portray..."

Yanagi and Endo brought their caps down.

Nagayan looked at the group. "I don't know, he just told me he was hearing strange noises and then looked inside this room," he explained as he pointed to the door where Takigawa came from, Kimeru peeking outside.

Aiba grinned. "Ah~ so that's why..." he said.

Kimeru flushed crimson when Aiba looked at him. "What?"

"I wasn't saying anything senpai..." Aiba said with a chuckle.

Takigawa grasped Kimeru's shoulder. "Well, for now that matter's irrelevant. Have you all come up with your chosen scenes?" he asked the crowd at large as the two Kawamuras arrived.

The rest of the cast nodded, including Nagayan who was nursing the still unconscious Tuti.

"Yosh. Let's all break into groups and run through each pair's idea before filming starts later in the afternoon," Takigawa explained.

"Hai, Buchou!" came the collective response.

Aiba and Kimeru eyed each other warily.

Everybody divided into their corresponding teams before Shirota pulled Aiba towards Takigawa and Kimeru.

Kimeru looked at Aiba. "So what have you planned?" he asked.

Aiba smiled at him. "Our setting is in the clubroom after the Ryoma-Fuji match under the rain," he said simply.

Kimeru nodded. "We have Tezuka's room in Germany."

"Didn't we already decide this before we parted to discuss the particular scene?" Takigawa confirmed.

Shirota nodded. "Hai."

"So first things first," Kimeru said. "Who gets to film their video first?"

"I'm fine with anything," Takigawa declared.

Kimeru thought for a moment. "I suggest that Aiba and Shirota do their scene first. After all, ours is much less complicated in terms of effects," he said.

Aiba blinked. "And...How do you know that, senpai?" he asked incredulously.

Kimeru smirked. "Well...from the setting that has been decided on, I thought that you would have to make use of the "rain" effects and the blackout lines... besides... Eiji and I might have a hard time pulling you two apart once we say "cut"."

Shirota looked over to Kimeru for a moment's glance before clearing his throat distractedly. "Alright, then… If it's fine with the senpais, perhaps it is best that we prepare, Aibacchi?" he piped up, heading off to ask for assistance with the effects.

Aiba nodded. "I'll go and get the camera crew, Shirotan," he said as he went to the technical crew.

Kimeru made a thoughtful sound before looking at Takigawa. "Ne Eiji, we should probably assist those two," he said.

Takigawa crossed his arms. "Since when were you keen on helping them out?" he inquired with a smirk.

"Since I discovered that they're going to have a kissing scene and we're probably going to watch," he answered with an evil smile. "Aiba-kun isn't the only one who is fond of photography, you know… Besides…there's another segment in the show besides the videos...the candid photos… just like in Dream Live 1st," he said. "And I will be taking all the pictures this time around…"

Takigawa took a moment before nodding. "At least now I won't be surprised. Of course, I'm hoping that you haven't gone to great lengths to embarrass a few people to the point of a confrontation?"

"Well..." he said as he showed him a picture of Nagayan and Tuti in a suggestive position in their Seigaku costumes. "This is the most suggestive thing I have so far. I'm waiting for the chance to snap a picture of Aiba and Shirota," he admitted with a smirk.

Takigawa stopped himself from twitching. "You didn't waste time, did you?" he spared a moment's glance to see the two returning before whispering, "Get your camera ready."

Shirota raised an eyebrow at the short exchange of conversation the other pair were having before stating, "Everything's set up to our preferred setting then, Aibacchi."

Aiba smiled. "Ready! Just have to get myself wet under the rain," he said as he ran up to Shirota, now wearing his Seigaku shirt.

Kimeru grinned. "Remember to behave Shirotan…" he said slyly as Aiba pulled his partner to the set in the next studio room, Shirota glancing over to Kimeru suspiciously. He looked over to Takigawa. "Teenage hormones..." he said thoughtfully as he readied his camera and followed the two. Takigawa followed in silence, eager to find out what they were going to do.

* * *

Aiba let go of Shirota's hand when they were at the set. "You signal the start," he said as he went outside in the "rain", to get himself "fixed" for the scene.

Shirota got himself into character and nodded to the crew to begin filming as he looked out the prop window, crossing his arms across his chest with his back to the camera.

Aiba walked in, drenched by the "rain". He paused as he looked up at Shirota. "Tezuka..." he said softly.

Kimeru chuckled as he adjusted his camera. _'He's really good at this...'_  he thought.

Shirota turned to Aiba before returning his attention outside as the fake rain poured like mad on the other side of the window. "The match you had with Echizen just now... Why didn't you go all out for the victory? It's just as Inui said, Fuji... Your data cannot be collected... Where is the real you?" he demanded, rotating to face Aiba who had sat himself down on the bench as the second cast Tezuka lowered his arms.

_'Looks like someone did some quick research with his lines...'_  Takigawa inwardly observed with a chuckle.

"I...I don't know either..." Aiba responded, looking at Shirota then at the window. "Ne...if this proves to be a problem...take me out of the regulars," he stated calmly.

At this point, Kimeru readied his camera and adjusted the aperture to accommodate the lighting.

There was a lingering silence between the two when suddenly, right on cue, the fake lightning erupted behind Shirota, plunging them into a moment's darkness.

_'Another one and we execute...'_  Shirota told himself.

Aiba, conscious about his cue, startled a bit and jumped up into Shirota's arms before the lights were turned off. "S…Shirotan…" he whispered quietly, careful to not let the microphones pick up the sound.

Kimeru raised his camera and waited for the recording to end.

Shirota caught Aiba just as the lights were cut off, the rain the only sound echoing across the room before Shirota leaned in for a quick kiss before the recording ended as he pulled himself back, staring longingly into Aiba's eyes as the lights slowly came back on.

Kimeru snickered and timed the shot well, capturing the duo's kiss with the flash of his camera.

Aiba blinked a few times before realizing what happened. He buried his face on Shirota's shoulder. "Oh shit...did senpai just..."

Shirota blinked at the flash before turning to Aiba, letting off a short chuckle. "Afraid so," he stated, spotting the camera.

Kimeru grinned as he pulled Takigawa to the other set. "Let's start," he said as he signaled to the camera men and threw the camera to Aiba, who caught it. "Take good pictures, Kouhai," he said. Aiba glared at him.

* * *

The scene started as Kimeru entered the room. "This isn't the bathroom either..." he said in his Fuji voice.

Takigawa adjusted his prop glasses before walking towards the room. “Ah, Fuji..." he stated, spotting him as he reached his room. "What are you doing in my room?"

Kimeru smiled at him. "I was looking for the bathroom and ended up here... Funny isn't it?" he said.

Aiba resisted the urge to roll his eyes at this.

Takigawa smiled as he moved past him and into the room. "I was planning on meeting with you guys in the lobby, but if you need to use the bathroom, I have my own right here," he said, directing him to another door.

"Thanks. Just needed to wash my hands..." Kimeru said gratefully as he went through another door, running water being heard for a few seconds before he came back. He was going to go straight to the exit when he stopped. "It's really nice to see you again, Kunimitsu...I- the team has missed you a lot," he added.

_'Ah...so they're making this something after our scene...'_  Aiba thought.

Receiving the hint, Takigawa just nodded stiffly.

Kimeru moved over to the door, his hand resting on the knob. "Shall we go to the others?" he asked.

Aiba, taking the hint, readied the camera and adjusted the angle.  _'This better be good...'_  he thought bitterly.

"Fuji..." Takigawa began, eyeing Kimeru for a long moment, his hand having abandoned a notebook that he set down on the desk.

Kimeru paused and turned around to face Takigawa. "What is it, Tezuka?" he asked.

Takigawa distracted himself for a full 10 seconds before bursting out suddenly. "It's been a while since I've been away from Japan. I miss being with you..."

Kimeru smiled at him. "We've missed you too, Tezuka," he said.

Takigawa approached Kimeru and took his wrist and pinned him to the door. "You misunderstand. I missed  _you_ , Syusuke..."

Aiba fought down the urge to laugh out loud when he recognized the genuine surprise on Kimeru's face as he was pinned to the door. "Go Taki-senpai!" he said quietly.

Kimeru was at a loss for a moment, not expecting Takigawa to make an immediate move. "K-Kunimitsu..." he stuttered.

_'Priceless...I'm going to shoot this for Takigawa-senpai because I know Kimeru-senpai wouldn't want it to be used for the musical,'_  Aiba thought as he took out the flash and snapped the picture.

"It's been pretty lonely here... I'm glad that at least... for the time being, we can be together again... even if it's just for a little while..." Takigawa continued, bringing up his other hand and stroking Kimeru's cheek.

Aiba had to stop himself from going "Aww..." over the line and opted to cling to Shirota's arm instead.

Kimeru's shocked expression softened as he leaned into the touch. "I am, too... I've missed you so much…" he said.

_'Darn it...our senpais are good...'_  Aiba thought in defeat.

Shirota blinked several times.  _'How long do they plan to make this video?'_  he thought to himself.

Takigawa moved in until he was an inch from Kimeru's face, their noses nearly touching.

Kimeru turned his head away. "N-Not here..." he said.

Aiba was already busy taking down mental notes and snapping a few pictures.

Takigawa gently had Kimeru face him with his fingers. "Why not?" he inquired.

Aiba was clutching Shirota's shirt tightly. "How the hell do they do that?" he hissed.

Kimeru blushed a bit more.  _'Stupid Eiji! Making me lose my lines...'_  he thought angrily. "Someone might walk in and...and..."  _'I'm a failure as a Fuji...'_  he thought, trailing off.

Aiba, however, was thinking otherwise.  _'Now that...is Fuji Syusuke...'_  "Senpai is gonna get raped...isn't he?" he whispered to Shirota.

"He just might..." Shirota said quietly.  _'Who would've thought they'd come up with such... such a masterpiece?'_  Shirota asked himself.

Takigawa smirked. "Don't mind it..." His free hand moved to lock the door before pulling him towards the bed.

Kimeru felt his eyes widen and his blush intensifying the moment that his back hit the bed. "K-kuni..." he said, looking at Takigawa's predatory expression.

"Once they say cut...we're getting out of here... Seeing them make out is one thing, but watching them doing 'it' is a different thing..." Aiba said hurriedly to Shirota.

Shirota nodded. "Agreed."

Takigawa got onto the bed with him and leaned in close for a few moments before the video was cut then and there, just as they had discussed. "How was that?" he asked Kimeru quietly.

Aiba bent down a bit to get the angle he wanted, took the picture and bolted out of the room, pulling Shirota along, the camera men following them, thus leaving the two alone.

Kimeru smiled a bit. "You surprised me a bit and we scared off the others..." he said as he placed his arms around Takigawa's neck. "So...I think you deserve a little reward."

Takigawa smirked. 

* * *

Aiba panted as he stopped running, they were already onstage but none of the other cast members were there. "Remind me to never do that again..." he told Shirota in between pants.

Shirota caught his breath before looking back from which they came before turning to Aiba. "But you have to admit, Aibacchi... Taki-senpai knows what he's doing..."

"Raping Kimeru-senpai must have been second nature to him by now... You should take lessons from him," Aiba declared as he jumped down the stage to retrieve the bag he had placed there earlier. "Whose turn is it to make dinner, you or me?" he asked randomly as he pulled out his phone.

Shirota gave out a hearty laugh. "You think so?" Shirota thought for a moment before replying, "It's my turn."

+++May 3, 2006+++

The two Seigaku casts, after working on the videos, conducted their practices for the rest of the show. After many weeks of preparation, the night of the musical proper arrived, the stadium packed to the last seat.

"What else do you expect? We basically put "Yaoi " on the advertisements…" Kimeru muttered. The next scene, once the Ichinen trio exited, was "behind the scenes".

Aiba, who was at the other side of the stage, looked at Shirota. "I'm a bit nervous about this..." he said.

Shirota clapped him on the shoulder. "It'll be fine. Saa, yudan sezu ni ikou," he said before moving out on stage after the signal was given.

* * *

Kimeru smiled at the audience. "Well now... The audience seems to be very lively tonight!" he noted.

Aiba nodded. "Of course...after all this is what they have all been waiting for!"

The two looked at one another and gestured to the big screen behind them. "Seigaku regulars! Secrets unveiled!" they said together as the videos started. The order of presentation was Golden Pair, Emerald Pair, Kawamura's bonus videos, Ah-Un Pair and finally Perfect Pair.

Aiba subconsciously reached down and took hold of Shirota's hand as the last two videos were shown.

The first video was Aiba and Shirota's and the finale was Kimeru and Takigawa's. Needless to say, the crowd was in fan-girl heaven.

"That's not all..!" Kimeru exclaimed amidst the screaming. "We…" he said as he pulled Aiba to stand beside him, but suddenly stopped when he noticed that Aiba was holding Shirota's hand, the camera zoomed in and showed this to the crowd who went silent...and proceeded to scream louder after a second or two.

Shirota turned away and seemed to adjust his glasses as Takigawa stepped forward. "Onto the next segment!" he called out, looking towards the rest of the cast members before setting his gaze on Kimeru. "Fuji, dozo." Takigawa gestured to the audience before stepping back.

"Why did buchou have to take the center stage?" Moriyama asked Endo, who just shrugged in reply.

Kimeru stepped forward. "What the others don't know is that all throughout our school year, I have been taking pictures of each and every one," he started. The cast, who didn't know anything about it, stared at him in shock and confusion.

"S-senpai... Wait...you don't mean..." Moriyama started, looking at the first cast Fuji in disbelief.

"Seigaku Regulars Secrets: Part Two!" he announced, starting off with the Golden Pair, again following the same order as the videos.

"The last picture..." Kimeru started. "Wasn't really what I expected…" he said as he glanced over to Shirota and Aiba in amusement. "Who would have thought that there was a reason why Tezuka…" he said as he nodded at Shirota to clarify which. "Always had the keys to the locker rooms... dozo!" he said as the picture of Aiba and Shirota kissing flashed on the big screen.

The other regulars stared.

Both Kaidoh's gave a simultaneous response: "Fsssssssssh ..."

Aiba cleared his throat. "Unfortunately... Fuji-kun," Aiba began. "I also got a very interesting picture of you and... your dear Buchou," he said as he turned to face the first cast Seigaku. "Have you ever wondered what took them so long?" he said, the final video, after all, was cut from the part where Takigawa was going to move Kimeru to the bed.

"Everyone, take a look at this."

It was the hit of the musical. After all, who could resist a picture of Tezuka, looking sinister while pinning Fuji - to a bed of all places.

Some of the regulars were already imitating fishes out of water while Tuti fainted.  _'Not again...'_  Nagayan thought.

Now it was Takigawa's turn to randomly adjust his glasses in pure Tezuka fashion, turning his back to the audience for the time being.

Yanagi made a double take on the picture. "Hontou ni?" he inquired, looking back and forth between the picture and the pair of Takigawa and Kimeru.

Aiba smiled. "I'm afraid so," he said.

"Mada mada dane…" the Echizens stated, pulling their caps down.

"Ah~ but that doesn't mean that you two don't do it too…" Kimeru declared; Aiba grinned at him and they both chuckled evilly in a Fuji-like manner.

Both casts - except the respective Tezukas - backed up from the Fujis. All were wondering what been developing between the two while the audience cheered their support. After that, a series of dancing and singing ensued. Then it was the director's turn to surprise everyone.

"There are 5 winners from the audience that are allowed to ask their questions to the Seigaku regulars, please approach the microphone now."

The cast looked around and Ueshima waved at them from the audio booth.

A girl who was about 19 years of age approached the microphone, testing it for a second before stating, "I would like to direct a question to the first cast Tezuka and Fuji. Who was the one who thought up of the scene for the video earlier on?"

Kimeru smiled. "I suggested the setting, He did the  _entire_ thing," he answered, emphasizing the word 'entire'.

The girl left after expressing her thanks, giggling happily as another girl, around 17 this time, stepped up to the microphone. "For the second cast Fuji and Tezuka, was the picture shopped?"

Aiba smiled nervously and pushed Shirota forward a bit.

Shirota stumbled a bit but quickly got his balance, clearing his throat. "No, it was purely Fuji and I. There was no photo-manipulation involved whatsoever."

Thanking them, the second girl left as a girl of around 15 came forward. "For the first cast Oishi, why did you faint when you saw the picture of the first cast Tezuka and Fuji?"

Tuti stepped up. "Well...to be honest, I never really expected that..." he said, scratching his cheek nervously.

"And he faints all the time!" Nagayan added.

"That too..." Tuti admitted with a nervous chuckle.

Next was a girl around 18 stepped up to the microphone, "To both Momoshiros. Didn't it bother you that you had to work with two Echizens...for a yaoi musical?"

Moriyama and Kaji looked at one another. "How so?" the two replied simultaneously, turning to the girl.

"I'm referring to the videos," The girl answered, clarifying things.

Moriyama grinned. "Nope, it didn't bother me at all."

"It was quite fun actually," Kaji added with a nod.

Satisfied with the answer, the girl took her seat before a girl of 17 stepped forward. "For the two Inuis, was it difficult to take on that type of role for your videos or did it come naturally?"

Aoyama and Araki adjusted their glasses.

Aiba chuckled. "On Aoyama's part, he's naturally analytic," he supplied.


	2. Dilemma that is Minami Keisuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the 2nd chapter entitled **Dilemma that is Minami Keisuke**. We decided to turn Minami into a villain for a while (no offense to him, though, as he does make a fair Tezuka) so as to spice things up among the actors. Hyoutei Cast A will be popping in an out from now on, so please enjoy! This character covers one and a half days of the timeline - the night of May 3 and May 4, 2006.

+++May 3, 2006+++

After one last dance number, Dream Live 3 ½ was done. The curtains were closed and finally, both casts had the last few moments on stage to themselves.

"That was fun..!" Kimeru said with a more natural smile.

"Hai~ it was really enjoyable to get back on stage—a-re? Aibacchi is crying?" Nagayan pointed out, spotting the second cast Fuji.

Aiba immediately turned his back to them.

Kimeru approached them. "Aww, come on Kouhai...we'll all see each other again. After all... we already have our legacies... It's time for us to step down and let the third cast shine."

"T-That's the point..." Aiba managed to say.

Kimeru raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean, Aiba?" he asked.

"I-I'm still in the third cast," he answered weakly.

Kimeru's eyes grew wide as he turned to face Shirota for a while before turning to look at Aiba again. "You mean---"

"They're going to pair me up with another Tezuka!" Aiba finally said, causing the other cast members to look at them, an unexpected revelation dawning over them.

Shirota avoided looking at anybody, blinking the tears back as he took off his prop glasses that he was going to wear for the last time.

Kimeru frowned as he looked at the second cast Tezuka and Fuji. "Ueshima-sensei didn't give you an option?" he asked. When Aiba shook his head, Kimeru sighed. "This is going to be ugly...general rule...only one Tezuka to a Fuji... But this...this is just absurd!" he stated as stepped back. "Shirota, why don't you help calm down Aiba for a bit?" he asked gently as he patted Shirota on the back.

Shirota moved forward towards Aiba, wrapping his arms around him, whispering comforting words to him.

"What I heard..." Aoyama suddenly began, causing the people around him to look at him. "...is that the third cast Tezuka specifically asked that Aiba-kun remain as Fuji. Apparently he has power over the situation."

"This is bad...what do you think?" Kimeru asked as he turned to face Takigawa.

Takigawa crossed his arms. "For one thing, we know that we have no control over the casting, and it is completely up to Ueshima-sensei to make the final decision."

"If any of you recognize the name 'Minami Keisuke' anywhere, please speak up," Araki pointed out.

"I do..." a voice from backstage spoke up.

“That voice sounds familiar…" Nagayan said as he looked around. “A-re? Kamakari Kenta?" he said.

Kamakari 'Kenken' Kenta, Hyoutei's Shishido actor, stepped onto the stage and waved at them. "The one and only! I came by to tell you guys something..." he said.

"What is it?" Endo asked.

"Keep Aiba away from Minami," Kenken warned as he gestured to Aiba who now clung to Shirota as small sobs could still be heard from him. "It's true that Minami had requested that Aiba would be the third cast Fuji but... as for his motives…" he said, trailing off as he looked at Aiba. "I'm afraid I don't have a clue..." he admitted.

"Kenken!" came another voice.

Kenken turned around and smirked. "Scratch that, maybe we can get something," he said as Date Koji, Hyoutei's Choutarou actor appeared, holding up a CD.

"I got it, Kenken!" he said happily.

"Skip the mushy Silver Pair reunion. What's in the CD?" Kimeru snapped, getting impatient.

"It's an observation recording of Minami from Takumi," Koji answered.

Kimeru glanced at them suspiciously. "Why are the Hyoutei cast helping?" he asked.

"Not all of us. Just Kazuki, Ruito, Koji, Takumi and I," Kenken answered. "Besides...we owe Aiba a lot."

Araki held out his hand. "Hand it over and we'll have a look at that CD," he stated.

Shirota continued comforting Aiba, silently wishing death to Minami Keisuke.

Koji nodded as he gave the CD to Araki. "Zukki, you have your portable DVD player with you right?" Araki asked the second cast Oishi who nodded and went backstage to get the said technical equipment. When he came back they immediately put the CD in.

-video-

**"It's on, Takumi..." they heard a voice, which they recognized as Aoyagi 'Rui' Ruito, Hyoutei's Gakuto actor.** **"This better be good..."**

**"Shh, Rui! He's coming out!" Saito Takumi, Hyoutei's Oshitari actor, said as the camera focused on a door, which opened a few moments later and then Minami, Sakurada and Watanabe came out.**

**"You sure got lucky Minami!" Sakurada Doori, the third cast Echizen, said as he slapped Minami on the back.**

**Watanabe Kouji, the third cast Kawamura, grinned at them. "Who knew that you could actually pull it off?" he chided.**

**Minami smirked. "I get what I want," he stated calmly.**

**"But what are you going to do about Aiba's so-called boyfriend?" Sakurada asked.**

**"He won't be a problem since they're not together anymore in the musical. I'm going to be Tezuka...and Aiba will be my Fuji," Minami answered darkly.**

**"Brat," Watanabe teased.**

**"I'm not. It just so happens that I'm smart enough to get what I want. And I want Aiba Hiroki," Minami said with a smug expression.**

**"No shit..." came Takumi's voice again. "Let's go Rui. I think we have more than what Kenken asked for."**

**"Hell yeah," came Ruito's reply as the video ended.**

-video-

Kimeru's expression was grim. "It looks like we have a big problem…" he said as he looked at Aiba who, halfway into the video, calmed down but now started shaking as he held on to Shirota.

"He's a dead man..." Shirota stated as soon as the video ended, his grip tightening around Aiba slightly to stop him from shaking.

"Calm down, Shirotan, we'll think of a way to---" Yanagi began.

"I'll make him regret ever wanting to break us apart like this..." Shirota interjected. "Who cares about what he wants?"

Kimeru sighed. "Shirotan, calm down...you're scaring Aibacchi even more," he pointed out as he eyed his kouhai.

Shirota jumped at the mention of scaring Aiba before he turned to his partner and quickly apologized. "Gomen, gomen, Aibbachi."

"Well...one thing's for sure...we won't let him do anything to Aiba," Nagayan concluded.

"But... he still has to be Fuji for the upcoming TeniMyu...and practices start in three weeks," Aoyama said as he scanned the document he had on his laptop.

"Shirota, why don't you take Aiba home...you two live together anyway," Kimeru said. "Eiji and I will drive you there, right Eiji?" he said as he nodded at Takigawa. "We'll talk about this tomorrow when everyone is less shaken up...and Kenken," he continued as he looked at the Hyoutei members. "Call your friends over. My house tomorrow at around 10 in the morning," he addressed as he looked at everyone else. "Those who can come are welcome."

Takigawa nodded over to Kimeru as he approached the second cast Tezuka-Fuji pair. "We'll figure a way around this..." he whispered to the two.

"We'll all see each other then," Kimeru said as the others nodded and left. "Here, Eiji. You drive," he said as he handed the keys to Takigawa. "I'll take Shirotan and Aiba's bags to the car, you guys go ahead," he stated as he walked towards the dressing rooms to retrieve the things of his companions.

Aiba, who had somewhat calmed down, stopped shaking but was still clutching on to Shirota. "Yuu…" he said softly, using Shirota's first name.

"Daijobu, Hiropiyo..." Shirota whispered, pecking him on the cheek as they followed Takigawa to the parking lot.

* * *

"I wonder what Shirota-kun plans to do about this..." Konii wondered when they were packing up to go.

Adachi shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever it is, he needs to plan it well, considering the attitude of that Minami person."

Aoyama frowned. "True...I've never seen a Tezuka actor with no heart...and an arrogance that can match an Atobe actor," he said.

* * *

Aiba was still out of it all the way back to where he and Shirota lived. "We'll pick you two up at around 8:30 tomorrow. In the meantime, I leave Aibacchi in your capable hands," Kimeru said as he and Takigawa moved to leave the place after helping the two with their things.

Shirota gave the two senpais a quick bow before single-handedly taking the things into the room before returning downstairs to bring Aiba into the living room. Shirota closed the front door, locked it and headed over to the kitchen. "How about I get dinner started, Hiro-kun?" he inquired cheerfully, trying to get his partner's mind off Minami for the time being.

Aiba nodded silently with a small smile. "That sounds good, Yuu," he said. "Would you like me to help?" he asked.

Shirota vigorously shook his head, making an 'x' with his arms. "No! I get dibs on making dinner! So you just relax and prepare yourself to enjoy my cooking!" he said with a grin before heading off to wash his hands.

Aiba smiled. _'I'm so lucky that I have him..._ ' he thought. He then looked at the small table just beside the couch he was sitting on and took the picture frame on it. His smile grew wider when he saw the picture; it was Araki who took it. The picture showed him and Shirota looking at each other lovingly. It was the day that they had confessed to one another. He chuckled upon remembering how flustered he was while being coached by the Hyoutei cast of all people on how to tell Shirota. "It all worked out in the end…ne?" he said quietly.

* * *

Takigawa took his seat in the driver's side promptly after offering to drive the rest of the way back to their own house. After a few minutes, they arrived as he pulled into the driveway of their house as Takigawa sighed. "It's hard to believe that someone would want to do this..."

Kimeru similarly sighed as he opened the door to get out. "I know…especially when it's public knowledge who's with who from the cast," he said. "I just hope that the two of them would be able to support each other... I mean, Shirota must be going through as much as Aiba is…" he added as he pulled out the keys to the house and opened the door.

Takigawa followed Kimeru into the house with their things before setting them down by the front closet. "I'm sure they'll be able to, Kime. After all..." Takigawa paused as he approached him and pecked him on the lips. "They succeeded us well, didn't they?"

Kimeru smiled. "True... they did quite well... but that's because they did it together," he said. "Now let's see... my turn to make dinner tonight, right?" he finished as he gently pushed Takigawa towards the stairs. "Now why don't you go take a shower while I prepare something nice?"

"I'm going, I'm going..." Takigawa stated, grinning as he continued up the stairs and headed off to take a well-deserved shower.

* * *

Shirota was busy in the kitchen, deciding to make a Chicken Pasta Casserole for once and began doing various things such as preparing the chicken and pasta to be cooked, bustling around the kitchen in search of an ingredient, a cooking utensil or a serving container.

Aiba stood up and headed to the kitchen, he leaned on the door frame and observed Shirota as he moved around the kitchen. _'Adorable...'_ he thought.

Shirota was in the middle of cooking the pasta while simultaneously mixing the chicken with various ingredients to prepare the sauce. He paused and turned to the door to find Aiba there before blowing his cheeks up in a playful manner, lowering his eyebrows and pointing his wooden spoon at him. "No peeking!" he stated in mock anger.

Aiba chuckled. "Alright Alright," he said with a bright smile as he went back to the living room. _'Kawaii...'_ he thought all the while.

Shirota turned his attention back to his cooking before setting the pasta into a container and spread the finished sauce over it. Mixing it, he grated some cheese to finish it off before going to set the table. Finally, after a few rounds, Shirota finally set the Chicken Pasta Casserole as the table's centerpiece before calling out, "Hiropiyo, dinner's on the table!"

Aiba stood and went to the dining area; he looked at the food presented. "Looks great, Yuu," he said as he took a seat.

* * *

Kimeru was humming **_'Timeless'_** while preparing a simple curry dish. He then heard a soft bark from behind him. "Hey there, Pearl," he said to the Yorkshire terrier. "Hungry?" he asked as he moved over to the cabinet to find some dog food to feed the dog with. "There you go," he said as he put the food in the bowl and finished cooking.

Getting out of the shower, Takigawa moved to get changed in their room and emerged minutes later. He headed downstairs and went to feed Q, his rabbit.

As soon as Kimeru finished cooking he set the table and smiled. He went to the next room to see Takigawa feeding Q. He smirked as he approached quietly and hugged the man from behind. "Dinner's ready..." he said, tempted to say a line that was absolutely clichéd.

Takigawa had just closed the lid of Q's cage before hearing Kimeru and felt the other man's arms wrap themselves around his waist. Turning to face him, Takigawa kissed him on the forehead. "Let's eat."

Kimeru grinned as he pulled Takigawa to the dinner table.

Takigawa spotted the food and grinned, seating himself down. "Seems my cooking's rubbing off on you," he teased before they sat down to eat.

Kimeru grinned. "Of course...I have to learn some time..." he said as he went to eat.

Takigawa smirked before sampling Kimeru's curry. "This is good!" he complimented before downing the rest of his serving.

Kimeru smiled. "I'm glad you like it," he said, thankful that his lessons with Nagayan the previous week were paying off.

* * *

After dinner, Aiba had shooed Shirota upstairs after saying that he was going to do the dishes. He followed after finishing his chore. He took a quick shower and changed into some more comfortable clothes before going off to lie down on their bed.

Shirota was already in bed with the TV on, a random show that struck him as funny and decided to leave it there for its hilarity.

Aiba moved to place his head on Shirota's chest, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm sorry for freaking out earlier..." he said softly, referring to the sudden scene as soon as the curtains went down.

Shirota waited for the program to end before turning the TV off, placing the remote on the bedside table before he stroked his fingers through Aiba's hair. "It's alright... Even though we've already talked about it before..."

Aiba hugged Shirota and pulled himself closer. "I'm scared, Yuu..." he admitted. "I don't know why... I haven't met him before but..." his voice shook as he bit his lip to try and stop himself from acting like a child and start crying again.

"I wonder if you were feeling the same way about me before we began practice for the Side Yamabuki Musical..." Shirota asked with a slight chuckle, trying to lighten the mood and change topics.

Aiba smiled. "I was nervous... But it was a good kind of nervous... since I've had a crush on you ever since I watched you in the Sailor Moon Musical," he admitted.

Shirota laughed. "Oh, the days of my youth when innocence was forgotten and my dignity gone," he dramatized, striking a very remarkable resemblance of Takigawa's Tezuka embarrassment pose during Dream Live 1st as he turned his face to the side and supposedly pressed his glasses - though he wasn't wearing any - up.

Aiba chuckled. "What about you? What did you think about me when you first saw me?" he asked.

"That you were a great Fuji, and a better dancer than I'll ever be. Even though I had a prowess in singing, that didn't stop me from being attracted to you somehow..." Shirota replied, kissing Aiba's hair, being unable to reach any other part for the time being.

Aiba chuckled. "Araki said that you thought that I danced like a worm..." he teased as he propped himself up on his elbows beside the other boy.

Shirota paused and did a mock thinking pose. "Did I?"

"You did, didn't you?" Aiba said in mock annoyance as he grabbed a pillow and proceeded to hit Shirota with it. "I do not dance like a worm!" he exclaimed.

Shirota put up an arm in defense to the pillow. "I swear I didn't!" he replied.

Aiba paused in mid-hit as he blinked at Shirota. "You promise that you didn't?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes!" Shirota replied, afraid of the strike of the pillow as he ducked out of the way and moved to hide underneath the safety of the blankets.

Aiba smiled and put the pillow down. He then went over to where Shirota was bundled up and decided to hug him while he was still under the covers. "I love you, Shirota Yuu..." he said randomly.

Somewhat calmed down now, Shirota popped his head out from under the covers and smirked, moving to get his arm around the boy and brought him into a deep embrace. "And you know I love you, Aiba Hiroki," he replied passionately.

Aiba embraced him as well, smiling. He was glad that he was with Shirota; if the situation he was in happened any other way he didn't know what he would do. "Let's go to bed, Yuu... We have a long day ahead of us," he said.

"Saa… yudan sezu ni ikou," he replied, using his Tezuka voice before taking in Aiba's lips with his own before settling into dreamland.

Aiba smiled as he cuddled up closer to Shirota and fell to asleep.

* * *

After dinner, Takigawa offered to do the dishes and this time had Kimeru take his shower. After clearing the table and everything stowed away, Takigawa went up to their room.

Kimeru was just going to put his shirt on when Takigawa walked in. "Long day, isn't it?" he said. "I hope we get good ideas tomorrow."

Takigawa nodded and proceeded to the bed. "Yeah... Perhaps we could think of something now if you like," he offered.

"My thoughts are going along the lines of 'Find that Minami guy and murder him…'" Kimeru admitted as he sat on the bed. "You?" he asked.

"Hey, that's Shirota's answer," Takigawa reasoned. "And anyway, I would suggest figuring out why he'd want to have Aiba in particular..."

"Well...to tell you the truth I think I have an idea as to why Aiba..." Kimeru said. "Think about it: he's a rising star, a good dancer and - although I hate to admit it - he's really pretty hot," he explained with a thoughtful look. "That's why his announcement that he was with Shirota was a big surprise... Besides...I've never seen someone that has the patience to satisfy Ueshima-sensei's obsessive-compulsive heart when it comes to the dances. And no, Shirota's answer would most probably be: 'Find Minami, torture him before killing him and make sure no one finds the body afterwards.'"

"Ah, is that right?" Takigawa said, enlightened now as he chuckled. "You could be right, of course..."

Kimeru sighed as he pulled Takigawa to the bed and snuggled up next to him. "Let's just think about this tomorrow. All that complimenting on Aiba is making my head hurt..." he whined.

Takigawa chuckled. "Well, you started it, but alright." It was then that they retired off to sleep.

Kimeru smiled as he moved closer to Takigawa before falling asleep.

+++May 4, 2006+++

Kimeru yawned, stirring from sleep as he looked around and saw Takigawa still asleep beside him. He smiled and kissed him on the cheek before moving to get up. "Huh?" he said as he found himself tangled in both the blanket and Takigawa's arms.

"Eiji...let me go...need to start...breakfast..." he coaxed as he tugged at the blanket in hopes of loosening it from around his legs.

"No... Stay here..." Takigawa mumbled, half-asleep.

Kimeru groaned. "I need to get started on breakfast..." he said as he freed his legs from the cloth.

Takigawa whined, muttering unfathomable things before reluctantly letting go.

Kimeru smiled as he finally stood up and went to the bathroom to do his morning rituals before heading off downstairs to start on breakfast.

* * *

Shirota mumbled angrily to himself about waking up too early, but had to so that he could get breakfast ready as a surprise for Aiba. Stealthily taking a shower, he got dressed and headed downstairs to cook the said breakfast.

Aiba blinked as he woke up, not opening his eyes. He felt around for Shirota but didn't find him anywhere on the bed. _'Strange...he doesn't wake up early...'_ he thought as he opened his eyes.

_Yudan sezu ni ikou Oretachi wa mada mada_  
Ki wo hikishimete ikou Suki wo miseruna  
Katsu ka makeru ka wa Tatakau mono no kokoro ga ke shidai

The familiar tone of Shirota's **_'Yudan Sezu Ni Ikou'_** filtered out from his phone that was beneath his pillow. He felt around for it and looked at the screen, frowning at the unknown number. _'Who could it be at this time in the morning?'_ he wondered as he pressed the answer button.

"Aiba Hiroki..." he said sleepily.

" _Good Morning, Aibacchi_ _…"_ a voice that sent shivers down Aiba's spine said.

"Who is this?" he asked warily, though he already had an idea.

_"Why don't you take a look outside to see for yourself?"_ the voice said with a slight chuckle.

Aiba stood up and moved slowly towards the window as he hesitatingly peeked through the blinds. He recognized the man standing just outside their house; how could he not when he just saw him last night, thanks to the video that the Hyoutei cast was able to supply. "M...Minami...Keisuke..." he said.

_"I'll see you at practices...Aibacchi... I look forward to working with you…"_ Minami said as he smirked at Aiba and waved a bit as he turned around, ended the call and left.

Aiba stared at him as he moved languidly down the street, not noticing that he had dropped his phone which clattered noisily on the wooden floor.

Indulging himself in the classic pancake and bacon breakfast, Shirota was pleased with the results and set the table once more before moving to get some juice on the table before heading upstairs to wake Aiba. He paused when he heard something fall to the ground and rushed into the room, finding Aiba at the window. Approaching him, apprehensive, Shirota bent down to retrieve the fallen item and placed a hand on the other boy's shoulder. "What happened?"

"Minami..." Aiba managed to say as he took a nervous glance at Shirota. "He was there...just outside our house..." he explained, visibly shaken.

Shirota's forehead creased, his insides burning in anger, his grip tightening on Aiba's cellphone.

Aiba stepped back, taking hold of Shirota's hand. "Come on..." he said. "I smell something good... did you make breakfast?" he asked, attempting to move the conversation away from what had just happened.

Stirred out of his angered state, Shirota jumped at the sudden change of subject before noticing the state of the cell phone. Panicking, he slackened his grip and held it out to its owner. "Gomen..." he apologized before leading them downstairs to the dining area. "Yes, it was meant to be a surprise, but you ended up surprising me."

Aiba smiled at him as they went down together. "We're going to be picked up by Kimeru-senpai at around 8:30 right?" he asked.

"Hai, meaning we have to hurry! After eating, you need to take a speed shower since it's already 7:45," Shirota said, hurrying Aiba forward down the stairs and into one of the seats.

Aiba smiled as he placed his phone on the table. "Huh?" he said as he examined the phone. "Yuu..." he said as he looked at Shirota with a questioning glance.

Shirota slapped his hands together in front of him. "Hontou ni gomen!" he apologized again, bowing his head slightly. "It's still working, if you're wondering about that..."

Aiba sighed. "It's okay, Yuu," he reassured the older boy. "Now, let's finish breakfast before---"

_Yudan sezu ni ikou Oretachi wa mada mada  
Ki wo hikishimete ikou Suki wo miseruna  
Katsu ka makeru ka wa Tatakau mono no kokoro ga ke shidai_

Aiba's phone rang again and Aiba looked at the screen and saw that the number wasn't in his phone book but he recognized it. He stared at it, not making any move to answer it.

"Who's that?" Shirota inquired, halfway from devouring a piece of his pancake.

Aiba looked at the phone nervously, then at Shirota. "Him..." he said.

Shirota's eyes widened as he dropped his fork and moved forward in an attempt to seize the still-ringing phone.

"Yuu, don’t---" Aiba said as he tried to reach the phone before Shirota did.

Shirota managed to reach the phone but by the time he was going to answer it, the line was broken. Shirota groaned inwardly before returning to his seat. "Just missed him..." he muttered before picking up his abandoned fork and shoved the piece of pancake into his mouth.

Aiba sighed as he started to eat. "Yuu…" he said as he played with his fork. "Let's just not worry about it for the meantime okay?"

Shirota nodded wordlessly, still muttering things of what he would've said to Minami had their call gone through.

* * *

"Eiji! Hurry up! We have to pick up the lovebirds!" Kimeru called from downstairs.

Takigawa rushed with his shower, pulling his pants on whilst hopping on one foot before finding his footing and racing downstairs for breakfast before nearly tripping on Pearl.

Kimeru chuckled as he saw Takigawa almost trip on the dog. He smiled as Takigawa moved towards the table. "So...how was sandmanville, Eiji?" he teased.

Takigawa massaged his ankle upon sitting down. Satisfied that it was going to be fine, he settled himself for the food. "I'm feeling refreshed now..." he simply replied. "Though I would've preferred that you stayed with me a little bit longer..."

Kimeru smirked. "You already had your fun yesterday, Eiji," he teased. "Now let's eat before we're accused of being late."

Takigawa sighed before resigning to his food, which lifted his spirits for some reason. "Have you been cooking more behind my back, Kime-kun?" he teased.

Kimeru smiled. "Maybe?" he said as he started eating.

Takigawa eagerly finished his breakfast before standing. "You'll have to tell me how you did this sometime. But for now, let's go," he said, moving to get Pearl her food in her dish and set it down where she ran up to digest it. Petting her on the head, he said, "We'll be back in a bit."

Kimeru smiled as he took Takigawa's plate along with his and placed it on the kitchen sink. "I'll take care of it later, for now let's fetch the two..." he said as he retrieved the keys. "I'm driving this time," he said with a grin as he went out.

"Hai, hai..." Takigawa said, following him out and proceeding to lock the house and getting into the passenger seat of their car.

Kimeru smiled all the way to Shirota and Aiba's place. It wasn't until he turned at the corner heading to their street did something - or rather someone - catch his attention. "Eiji! Isn't that..." he said as the figure went in a car and drove away.

Takigawa had immediately noticed and nodded. "Aa. It was Minami."

Kimeru frowned as he stopped the car in front of the other couple's house. "Do you think that they know about it?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa undid his seatbelt and opened the door. "Probably…" And with that, he went to collect the two as he moved to ring the doorbell.

* * *

Aiba finished his meal wordlessly, thinking about how Minami had acquired his information. When he and Shirota finished he silently moved to wash the dishes. They went to shower together to save a bit of time and got dressed before returning downstairs to realize that they still had a bit more time. He sighed and went back to the dining room and placed his arms around Shirota.

Shirota leaned back on the backrest of his chair, resting one arm over the top of the backrest of another chair that Aiba took, moving his outstretched arm to rest on Aiba's shoulder, pressing him closer, his head resting on Aiba's before he gave off a huge sigh. "Why did he have to complicate things..?"

Aiba smiled bitterly. "That's what I want to know..." he answered quietly. "Ne… Yuu...you'll never leave me right?" he asked.

Shirota took up his free hand and used it to have Aiba face him before capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. "Of course I won't, Hiroki."

Aiba, surprised a bit by the sound of the doorbell, pulled back.

"Oi! You two! Make out time is over!" Kimeru called from outside.

Aiba frowned and went over to the door, yanking it open; his natural attitude back in place. "Senpai..." he hissed, as Kimeru smirked triumphantly.

"I guess I was right," Kimeru said, as Aiba turned red. Kimeru chuckled as he waved at them. "Come on. At this rate, the others might arrive before we do," he said as he waited for the three to get in.

Takigawa returned to the car with Shirota hustling forward and locking the house before getting into the car with Aiba in the back. Kimeru smiled as he drove off.

After a minute or two, the first cast Fuji actor frowned. "Shirotan... Eiji and I saw something interesting on the way to your place…" he started.

Aiba looked at him in shock as Kimeru glanced at him through the rear view mirror. "And I see that Aiba knows this as well."

"He called Aibacchi earlier this morning..." Shirota explained, keeping Aiba close.

Takigawa turned to the two. "What did he say?"

Aiba realized that he was the one supposed to answer as he looked at the two Tezukas for a while. "He said that he was looking forward to practicing with me for the upcoming musicals...that's all," he answered.

"What strikes me as strange is...how did he get your number...?" Kimeru pondered to himself as he stopped at a red light.

Takigawa turned to Kimeru. "You don't suppose he's been secretly stalking Aiba, do you? Or perhaps got his information from Ueshima-sensai or any of the other cast members?" he thought out loud.

"Both are possibilities..." Kimeru admitted. "...and he's already getting annoying," he said as they reached their place. "Here we are," he announced as he shut the engine, turning to Takigawa. "See Eiji, I can make it without bumping into a stationary object!" he added with a grin.

Aiba chuckled as he got off. "Kimeru-senpai bumps into stationary objects?" he asked Takigawa.

Takigawa got out of the car and shrugged before reluctantly nodding. "At least once every time I let him drive," he replied. Shirota chuckled at this.

Kimeru frowned. "Well I didn't bump into anything this time..." he reasoned as he walked up to the door to open it. "Oh, and watch out for Pearl, she gets excited when new people come into the house," he warned as he pushed the door open.

"Senpai has a dog?" Aiba said as he walked alongside Shirota to get into the house.

Upon entering the house, Pearl had steamrolled over Takigawa before the man had managed to safely get the dog off him and away from jumping onto Shirota and Aiba unceremoniously.

* * *

Around half an hour later, the others arrived, along with a few from the Hyoutei cast.

"He was where doing what?" Kenken burst out as Aiba finished retelling the story of what happened during the morning.

"Is he a stalker or something?" Ruito added. "You should give him a piece of your mind when you see him, Shirota-san!" the youngest member of the cast declared with a frown.

Shirota nodded. "I would've if I had gotten to Aibacchi's phone earlier..." he replied.

Takumi frowned. "Ueshima-sensei doesn't give out phone-" he paused before turning to his partner. "Ruito... When did you lose your phone again?" he asked suddenly.

Ruito blinked. "Uhh... Two nights ago when we were following Mina...mi..." he finished, realizing what happened. "He has my phone?" he growled. "That jerk! I'm going to---" he said as he stood up but Takumi pulled him onto his lap.

"Now, now, Ruito... Happy thoughts… Don't let the teenage angst get over you...” Takumi said soothingly with a grin. Ruito blushed but fell silent nonetheless.

Aiba blinked. "...Whoa... You managed to get him to shut up…" he said, impressed.

"Going back to the conversation..." Kimeru said. "What are we going to do about Minami?" he asked.

The doorbell suddenly rang. "Huh? Who could that be?" Kato Kazuki, Hyoutei's Atobe actor, stated as he looked around. "We're all here..."

Kimeru frowned as he walked up to the door and opened it. "Who is--"

"Ohayou , Kimeru-senpai," Minami greeted with a grin.

Several Hyoutei boys stood up and stepped in front of Aiba while some of the Seigaku cast members went behind Shirota to stop him from what he might do.

"How did you know where...?" Kimeru began but Minami merely smirked.

"I found the information here..." he answered as he held up a pink phone.

"That's my phone!" Ruito exclaimed. "Give it back!" he demanded.

Minami smirked. "May I?" he asked Kimeru. The man nodded slowly, eyes not leaving the newest Tezuka actor as he moved forward. "Here you go, Rui-chan," he said as he handed the phone to Ruito. All eyes on him were apprehensive. "Oh, Aibacchi, I was looking for you, what a coincidence," he said with a smile. Kimeru moved to the side table to retrieve a hair iron that happened to be there.

Pearl rushed forward and was barking at Minami, followed not long after by Takigawa, who had the task of restraining the dog. Upon realizing who was being barked at, Takigawa narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he asked, drowning out Shirota's bursts of 'Let me go!' and 'Let me at 'im!' as he tried to get free of the various arms keeping him back from pouncing onto Minami.

Minami smiled and bowed politely at Takigawa. "I just came to return Ruito's phone," he explained. "And I was wondering if I could borrow Aiba-san for a while to ask something about the upcoming Myu," he added.

"Over our dead and rotting bodies!" Ruito growled, followed by a nod from Kenken.

The Seigaku actors who had their hold on Shirota seemed to increase when the boy in captivity was showing some progress of escaping their hold when Minami had mentioned on borrowing Aiba.

"LET ME GO!" Shirota exclaimed, thrashing under the grip of nearly all of the two Seigaku casts combined.

"If it's about the Myu, then you can ask it in front of us," Kimeru reasoned out as his hand gripped the hair iron.

Minami smiled. "Very well, then. Ueshima-sensei wanted you to orient us, Aiba-san. He wanted you to help us ease into our characters," he answered. "And he had also partnered us up for the practices." He took a step forward. "And I was wondering when we could start," he finished with a smirk.

Kimeru growled under his breath. _'Openly hitting on Aiba...he's asking for it..!'_ he thought angrily to himself as he moved forward.

Nagayan immediately grabbed his arms. "Kimeru! No!" he said.

Kimeru glared at Minami. "Is that all you have to say?" he asked.

"I need Aiba's response, Kimeru-senpai," Minami answered coolly.

Aiba looked at him and glanced at Shirota. "I..." he started before returning his gaze to Minami. "I don't think that what you said is true because knowing Ueshima-sensei, he would have already oriented you himself... and Ueshima-sensei doesn't partner the actors up..." he answered.

"That's right!" agreed the others, some merely nodding in agreement.

Takigawa noticed the rage in Shirota's eyes. "You can start when practices begin. There's no need to rush things," he replied for Aiba.

Minami nodded. "I'll see you then, everyone," he said with a bow. "And I look forward to the practices…Aibacchi," he said as he moved closer. Aiba froze and the Hyoutei boys advanced. But before anyone could do anything he kissed Aiba on the cheek before immediately turning around to leave.

Kimeru was still held down by Nagayan as Minami left the house, no one letting go of who or what they were holding on to until they heard a car start up and leave. Only then did Nagayan let go of Kimeru, and the Seigaku boys release their hold on Shirota, who moved immediately towards Aiba.

Takigawa sighed, bending down and attending to Pearl, quieting her barks of anger.

"That brat...he even called Aiba 'Aibacchi'..." Kujirai said with an angry hiss as he looked at Aiba. "You okay, Aiba?" he asked his eyes widened when he saw Aiba sway dangerously.

Aiba fell to his knees, which were threatening to give out since Kimeru opened the door, shaking.

"Aiba!" various voices called out at once. It wasn't until Aiba had somehow fainted did Shirota quickly catch him to break his fall.

"Hiropiyo!" he exclaimed, his emotions divided between his anger towards Minami and his love for Aiba that he didn't know how to handle the situation.

Kimeru closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing his anger away. "Shirota, take Aiba upstairs. I want the two of you to rest," he said. "The rest of us will evaluate what the hell happened," he finished as he sat on the couch.

Shirota turned to Kimeru, for a moment wanting to stay to discuss what his intentions with Minami were before silently nodding and carried Aiba upstairs.

"I should've stayed with you, Hiropiyo..." he stated quietly as he set his lover down on the bed he assumed belonged to Kimeru and Takigawa-senpai. "Gomen..."

Shirota had gotten onto the bed with Aiba, bringing a protective arm over Aiba as his other hand stroked through the boy's hair. It wasn't long before Shirota kissed him on the cheek before falling asleep.

* * *

Kazuki frowned. "That guy... He's more suited to be an Atobe then a Tezuka," he said.

Kenken nodded. "He even had the nerve to do that with everyone ready to attack him," he added.

Kimeru sighed. "Any suggestions on how we can help the two?" he asked the group.

"He's giving Shirotan more reasons to hate him," Yanagi piped up. "Doing what he did to Aibacchi..."

Kimeru nodded. "That's true..."

"And I've never seen Aiba freak out like this... It's the first time I've seen him this vulnerable..." Konii said. "Aah… He's always been the strong one..."

"Which brings up my question... Is there something that happened before?" Kimeru asked. "I mean... Aiba immediately reacted to Minami being Tezuka even before he knew of his intentions..." he reasoned. "Who knows anything?"

"I know someone," Kazuki said and everyone looked at him. “Takuya...he's been with Aibacchi since their BRIGHTS days. If someone knows something that we don't about Aiba it would probably be him," he said.

"Then what the heck are we waiting for?" Kenken said impatiently. “Call him over!"

* * *

Half an hour later, Takuya, Hyoutei's Jirou actor, had arrived. "Err... Hi?" he greeted as Kimeru let him in.

"You know, it could be because Aiba's already found Shirota. The fact that he was forced to stay on and work with another Tezuka unsettles him," Takigawa offered as Takuya was shown into the packed living room.

"A-re? Aiba? Shirota?" Takuya said, looking around in confusion. Kimeru smiled at him.

"Tell me, Takuya-kun...does the name Minami Keisuke ring a bell?" Takigawa asked.

Takuya confused expression turned to a frown. "What about him?" he asked ruefully. The rest were taken aback by the sudden change in the usually cheerful boy's expression.

"...How is he connected with Aiba?" Aoyama asked.

"He's here?" Takuya said in alarm, looking around frantically.

Kimeru, startled by the outburst, approached Takuya. "He's the third cast Tezuka...and Aiba is still in the third cast," he explained.

Takuya tensed. "Keep him away from Aiba!" he said suddenly.

"Why?" Kimeru asked, the rest of the cast watching.

"Minami...He used to be a friend of ours before we formed BRIGHTS...He was supposed to be part of the group when..." Takuya trailed off, biting his bottom lip, unsure if he should go on.

"When what?" Kaji inquired, shifting in his seat on the couch.

Takuya's hands curled up into fists as they began to shake. "He...He..." he started.

Kazuki went to him and placed an arm around him. "He what, Takuya?" he asked. "Please tell us..." he added.

"He... touched Aiba... in ways he shouldn't have," he said finally.

Kimeru felt the urge to sit down as he took a few steps back, getting a bit dizzy. Takigawa moved to catch Kimeru before he fell, his knees nearly buckling beneath him had he not kept his composure.

The room plunged into silence, broken only by the soft whines of Pearl.

“S-Sorry about that..." Kimeru apologized as he tried to steady himself. "...Minami Keisuke...should we tell Shirota?" he asked, not able to make any more decisions.

* * *

Aiba started to become restless in his sleep. "No...Stay away..." he muttered, turning around and sweating cold sweat. He subconsciously fought against Shirota's hold on him. "No..." he muttered as he began to thrash around. "No...Minami..."

Shirota, slightly aroused by Aiba's movements, tried to calm the boy down. Shirota brought up his hand and took Aiba's cheek to make him face him. "Hiropiyo..." he muttered. "Everything will be alright... Sshh..."

"No! Yuu!" Aiba yelled as he started to thrash even more. "Yuu! Help...please..!" he called out, voice starting to crack. "No...Minami..."

Shirota leaned forward and stole a long kiss from Aiba, silencing him immediately.

Aiba's eyes snapped open as he pulled away a bit and looked at Shirota. "Y-Yuu..." he said before taking hold of him, before he started to sob.

Adachi, who came from the bathroom upstairs, heard this and knocked. "Shirotan? Aibacchi? Everything okay in there?" he asked in worry.

Startled by the sudden knock on the door, Shirota made a move to sit up before calling out, "We're fine!" while trying to calm Aiba down and settling back to lie down, pulling him close into a protective embrace.

Aiba's sobs soon died down, but his grip on Shirota never slackened. "I... I remember now..." he said carefully. "I remember...Minami Keisuke..." he said.

Shirota raised his eyebrows, hesitant to ask. Instead, he kissed Aiba's forehead and allowed him to rest his head on his chest. "I won't give you up, Hiropiyo... Never... Especially to _him_ ..." he declared.

Aiba nodded gratefully. "Arigatou ... Yuu..." he said.

* * *

"If we do, it'll just give Shirota yet another reason to dispose of Minami. If we don't, he'll be finding it out some other way, I suspect..." Takigawa noted.

"One thing's for sure... We can't leave Aiba alone with the third cast..." Endo said.

"We can't do that...we just can't," Moriyama agreed, using his Momo voice.

Adachi rejoined the group. "Aibacchi woke up...I think I heard him crying," he said.

Kimeru sighed. "Let's not disturb them for now…" he said. Mere minutes passed before Kimeru went upstairs. "Shirota? Aiba? It's time for lunch. Come down, everyone is worried about you two," he said quietly as he came into the room.

Aiba looked up. "Hai, senpai..." he answered.

Kimeru sighed as he went beside his junior, suddenly pulling him into an embrace. "We're here Aiba…okay?" he said, he quickly pulled away and stood. "Hurry up, 'kay?" he said as he went back out, leaving Aiba blinking at the doorway.

Shirota sat up, stifling a yawn before rubbing through his hair. "Do we really have to go downstairs?" he whined suddenly.

Aiba chuckled. "Of course we do. Now come on before they accuse us of doing something inappropriate on our senpais bed," he said as he stood.

Shirota groaned in protest but stood, allowing himself to be led downstairs by Aiba.

* * *

Takigawa directed everybody to the dining table as soon as he was done setting the food they had ordered there.

Kimeru rejoined the group downstairs. "They'll be going down in a bit... I hope," he said.

Takigawa, who was by the foot of the stairs, nodded before he returned his attention to the group indulging in the food, some fighting over a particular piece of sushi.

“Takuya?" Aiba said a bit surprised as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Aibacchi! Kazuki called me and told me there was a reunion or something so I came over!" he lied perfectly.

Aiba smiled. "Really?" he said, not entirely buying it. "That's great! I haven't seen you in a while!"

The day went on, almost as if nothing had happened earlier on. Soon, the others left and Kimeru and Takigawa had offered to drive Shirota and Aiba back home. After much insisting from Kimeru, the second cast TezukaxFuji pair did end up being driven home.

The next few days passed by smoothly; Minami didn't stir up any trouble, but it made the others suspicious. But as long as Shirota and Aiba were okay, they thought that it would be fine.


	3. The Feuds of Love over a Piece of Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here is the 3rd chapter entitled **The Feuds of Love over a Piece of Cake**. We only go through a day (May 12, 2006) in this chapter, which also happens to be a special day!

+++May 12, 2006+++

Friday morning strolled on by; a seemingly ordinary day would be greeting both pairs.

"Yuu! I'm going to the grocery! Would you want me to get you anything?" Aiba called out as he put on a shirt.

Shirota replied, "I'll go with you!" He made his way back inside from the backyard and went in search for Aiba. _'Even if that Minami person hasn't been bothering us, I don't want to give him the opportunity to be alone with Aibacchi...'_ he thought to himself.

"Huh?" Aiba said. "Okay..." he said slowly. He was wondering why Shirota wanted to go with him since he usually went to the grocery alone. Then again, it was a nice change in the routine. He waited patiently by the door. He then remembered something. "Maybe we can go visit Takigawa-senpai after," he said. "And get a few things for them as well since I don't think Kime-senpai would be able to go out for a long period of time," he added.

Promptly after washing his hands and changing his shirt, Shirota moved to the door where Aiba was waiting before nodding in agreement. "Sure, it's the least we can do," he replied cheerfully.

Aiba smiled as he and Shirota went out of the house, making sure that the door was locked before slipping his hand in Shirota's and intertwining their fingers. "Let's go," he said with a smile.

Shirota smiled and took up their hands, kissing the back of Aiba's palm before they headed off to the grocery. Aiba smiled; a few people noticed them on the way to the grocery but they were polite enough not to bother the two.

* * *

In Takigawa and Kimeru's house, Takigawa was in bed, sick with the flu for the past 3 days, coupled with a broken foot caused by a mix of Pearl and the stairs. He uneasily shifted in bed, unable to find a comfortable position.

**_5 days ago, Takigawa was feeling uneasy as he moved around in the second floor before he made to go downstairs. At the foot of the stairs, Pearl was making her way up to greet Takigawa before the two had an unfortunate collision as Takigawa failed to spot Pearl, despite Kimeru's sudden warning from the foot of the stairs. Takigawa fell face forward and rolled down the stairs, clutching his foot in pain as Pearl whined, moving back down to the ground floor._ **

Pearl entered the room, sympathetic, as if knowing fully well that she had been responsible for her master's injury. She moved up to the bedside before jumping onto the bed, deciding to snuggle up to Takigawa, seeking affection.

Takigawa stirred slightly, spotting the dog and wordlessly stroked her behind the ears.

Kimeru opened the door to their room, carrying a tray of food. He smiled when he saw Pearl on the bed. "Pearl, you have to get out now," he told the dog as he sat on the side of the bed, "I have to feed your master." he added with a grin.

Pearl whined before hopping off the bed and leaving the room as ordered. Takigawa made a move to sit up, dragging his legs with him before sneezing. "Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Kime..." he apologized for the umpteenth time.

Kimeru shook his head. "It's no problem. Besides, it gives me an excuse to treat you like a prince now, doesn't it?" he said happily as he took out an electronic thermometer and checked Takigawa's temperature. He frowned when he saw that it was 39.7°. "The doctor said that you'll be running a fever for a few days but your temperature is ridiculous," he said with a sigh.

Takigawa coughed after Kimeru had taken his temperature, more because of what he said than how he was feeling. "I would end up here anyway... Whether it was... the flu or my foot," he explained.

Kimeru chuckled, placing the tray on the side table and took the plate. "Now be a good boy and let mommy feed you so you can take your meds," he chirped, obviously enjoying the situation. Takigawa obeyed before he opened his mouth to take in whatever food Kimeru had prepared for him. "Regardless of your injury... You'd still end up in bed today anyway..." Kimeru said as he continued to feed Takigawa. "Unless...you forgot what today is…" he said with a pause.

Takigawa coughed on his food, pounding his chest at Kimeru's words before shaking his head. "How could I forget?" he teased, managing a smirk as he outstretched his arm and tipped Kimeru's chin, diverting him from preparing the next spoonful of food.

Kimeru stopped as and looked at Takigawa, blushing faintly. “F-Finish your food," he said distractedly, leaning back a bit to stop Takigawa from whatever he was going to do.

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the grocery, Aiba took out a list. "Let's see..." he said. "After we get these things... What do you think we should get for the senpais?" he inquired.

Shirota moved to retrieve a grocery cart for the pair and thought about it as they started browsing through the aisles. "Some matching jewelry or something similar, I'd suggest," he piped up after a while.

"That could work, I guess..." Aiba said.

* * *

After feeding the older man, Kimeru stood up. "Now go and rest while I get you your medicine," he said with a smile as he left the room. As soon as he stepped out, his smile was replaced with a frown. _'Of all the days...argh!'_ he thought in frustration. He looked at Pearl who was waiting by the door; the dog ran inside, whining.

Takigawa sat in silence as he watched Kimeru leave the room and Pearl came rushing in, whining and jumping back onto the bed. "What happened?" Takigawa asked the dog, oblivious to Kimeru's feelings about the day.

* * *

After finishing the grocery and buying their gifts for the other pair, along with a cake, Aiba and Shirota headed to the Takigawa residence. When they arrived, Aiba rang the doorbell.

"I'll get that!" Kimeru called from the kitchen.

"Senpai! We got you something for your anniv-" Aiba began to say as Kimeru started making a move to slam the door. "I got you a new hair iron!" Aiba added quickly.

"Why didn't you say so?" Kimeru replied, smiling again. "Come in, come in!" he said, pulling the door open once more as he ushered them inside, leading them into the kitchen.

Aiba stepped in first and signaled Shirota behind his back. Shirota had a slice of chocolate cake behind his back - their present intended for Takigawa - and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "I just need to use the bathroom," he announced.

"We brought some cake, senpai," Aiba said with a smile as he placed the said pastry on the kitchen table.

"I'm afraid that Eiji isn't allowed to have any," Kimeru said with a suspicious glance at Aiba, who looked a bit surprised.

He knew Takigawa wasn't allowed to have any, but being an actor himself, Aiba needed to play the part of distraction. "That's too bad, senpai. But it means you can have it all to yourself now," Aiba teased.

Kimeru smiled. "True."

* * *

Shirota stealthily moved upstairs two steps at a time as soon as Kimeru and Aiba moved into the kitchen. Shirota popped his head into Takigawa and Kimeru's room to find the injured first cast Tezuka with Pearl by his side.

"Shirotan? What are you--"

Shirota placed a finger against his lips as he moved further into the room, revealing the slice of cake. "This is for you," he explained with a hushed voice.

Upon seeing the slice of delicious chocolate cake peering out from the plastic box, Takigawa's eye twitched before he instructed hoarsely, "Lock the door."

Pearl watched enthusiastically, her tongue hanging out, somehow famished by the sight of edible food.

Shirota moved to lock the door before taking Kimeru's abandoned seat and opened the box for Takigawa and handed him the fork that came with it.

"Do you expect me to be feeding myself in this condition?" Takigawa asked pointedly.

Shirota blinked before reluctantly stabbing the fork in the cake and fed the piece to his senpai in silence.

* * *

"Let's go and show Eiji that you're here, ne?" Kimeru said as he moved to get out of the kitchen.

_'Ah! No good!'_ Aiba thought as he moved in front of his senpai. “S-Senpai! There's something else I want to show you! It's for you and Takigawa-senpai!" he said as he pulled out their gift - matching necklaces.

"You and Shirotan shouldn't have. Let's show it to Ei-" Before Kimeru finished his sentence, the container of sugar situated behind him suddenly fell over, spilling some of its contents. "...Let me clean this up first..." he said as he looked around for a rag.

While Kimeru was distracted, Aiba spotted a mug half-full of coffee. He took a moment to glance over to the first cast actor before he tipped over the contents onto the floor. “Gomen!"

"A-re? That's strange... Aiba... could you get that while I clean up over here?" Kimeru said as he pointed to the spilled coffee.

Aiba smiled nervously as he moved around the kitchen.

After a few minutes, the two had cleaned up the spilt sugar and coffee. "There! Now let's go to Eiji!" Kimeru said in satisfaction as he took his leave from the kitchen.

  
_'Oh no!'_ Aiba thought in panic as Kimeru went upstairs.

* * *

Takigawa had eaten the cake quite eagerly before Shirota heard some footsteps coming upstairs.

_'Shimatta!'_ Shirota thought in alarm before standing up, wondering where to throw the box. Pearl barked towards the window and in desperation, Shirota threw it out the window.

Kazuki was jogging down the street when something hit his head. "What the..?" he said when he looked at the discarded cake container on the floor. He looked up and wondered how it got there in first place, but he eventually shrugged as he picked up the container and threw it away like any good citizen would do.

"The door!" Takigawa hissed, wiping his mouth free of any remains of the cake as Shirota rushed to unlock the door.

Kimeru's hand was on the door knob when Shirota unlocked it. Aiba followed closely behind, sighing inwardly with relief. As soon as Kimeru opened the door, he frowned. "Shirota? I thought you were going to the bathroom downstairs...and why is the window open?" he asked.

"There was a bathroom downstairs?" Shirota asked with a nervous chuckle. "Gomen, but I forgot. I came to see Takigawa-senpai afterwards."

"And it was getting a bit stuffy in here so I asked him to open the window," Takigawa explained.

"I see..." Kimeru said skeptically as he moved forward and sat on the side of the bed. "Look what they got us," he added, suddenly smiling as he showed him the necklaces.

Aiba motioned for Shirota to step back, sensing that something was about to happen.

Takigawa smiled and moved to take one. "That's a sweet gesture. Arigatou, futari-tomo," he stated, nodding to the two.

Shirota moved towards Aiba, nodding to his senpai in return.

Kimeru, expert in doing the unexpected, leaned dow and kissed Takigawa, despite the fact that the latter was sick. "I knew it..." he said with a glare as he pulled away. He stood and glared at Shirota. "You gave him cake..." he said as he advanced on the two.

Aiba pulled his beloved back with him. "A-no..." he started.

Kimeru stopped by the door and looked at Takigawa over his shoulder. "You, Mister... are a dead man," he hissed as he shut the door behind him.

Takigawa was pale before sighing in defeat, Pearl hiding her head under the blanket in equal fear.

"Gomen, Kimeru-senpai! Shitsurei shimasu!" Shirota apologized as soon as the door was closed, bowing low before taking Aiba with him and charged full speed down the stairs and out the front door.

Aiba let himself be dragged outside. "I knew we should have brought a mint..." he muttered. He then remembered the scene he saw before dashing out of the house. "Man, did that look hot..." he muttered, his eyes widening when he realized what he just said and covered his mouth with his hands.

Shirota blinked as he turned to Aiba. "What?"

“N-Nothing..." Aiba said as he started to walk.

* * *

Kimeru returned to the room moments later. "Pearl...food's downstairs..." he said as he opened the door, not revealing himself. He waited for the dog to go outside.

"Kime..." Takigawa began, wincing when he tried moving his foot off the bed but only caused him pain. Of course the man had the thought of getting out of the room, but his foot - or even his current sickness - didn't allow him that privilege. "I can explain..."

"Oh, don't mind it, Eiji… It's just this once, after all," Kimeru's said as he slowly stepped into view. "Sorry, I had to change since there was sugar and coffee all over the shirt I wore earlier... and since I'm not yet done with the laundry...I had to wear what Nagayan gave me for our anniversary last year," he said as he went in, pulling the door closed behind him and locking the door behind him with a very audible click.

Takigawa twitched, exerting a bit more effort to place his foot back on the bed to distract him of the thoughts of strangling Nagayama.

Kimeru smiled as he languidly moved up towards Takigawa. "Let me help you with that..." he said as he assisted Takigawa to get his foot back on the bed, letting his hand trail up a bit. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

Takigawa winced before feeling a tingling sensation; Kimeru's hand rode up his leg as he stiffly nodded.

Kimeru massaged the part not covered by the cast. "It's the least I can do for now…" he said, smirking inwardly, as he moved a bit closer to Takigawa.

"Are you sure it's fine, Kime?" Takigawa asked hesitantly.

"What is?" Kimeru asked. "I'm just concerned for your leg…" he said as he moved closer, his face less than an inch away from Takigawa’s. "After all...you can't move much, ne?" he said as the hand that was on Takigawa's leg continued to trail upwards.

Heat played on Takigawa's cheeks before reluctantly nodding again, tempted to capture the other man's lips with his, but found himself unable to as his entire body seemed to start trembling from inaction.

Kimeru smiled. "Well then..." he said, as his hand began playing on a certain area. "...I would have to..." he said with a small smirk, moving closer. "...say that...” He inched closer still. "I hope you feel much better tomorrow," he finished as he moved away and laid on his side of the bed, turning his back on Takigawa. Inwardly, he chuckled evilly.

Takigawa let out a shuddered breath, feeling unable to neither move nor get his eyes to shut after what had just happened. With difficulty, he shifted to lie on his side, his back facing Kimeru as he tried to find sleep. "Gomen... Kime..." he muttered just loud enough for the other man to hear.

Kimeru sighed. _'I guess that's enough punishment for one slice of cake...'_ he thought as he faced Takigawa. "Next time, don't eat what you're not supposed to okay?" he said as he moved closer to Takigawa and embraced him, making sure that he didn't hit the injured leg.

"Aa..." Takigawa replied soundly. "But the cake was too hard to resist..." he mumbled more to himself than to Kimeru.

Kimeru frowned. "Want me to get what Sota gave me for Valentine's Day?" he asked with a warning tone in his voice.

"Please, don't...!" Takigawa replied, shuddering once more at the mere thought of it.

Kimeru chuckled before closing his eyes. "Now be a good boy and go to sleep," he said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shirota and Aiba had arrived back home, took quick showers before slipping into bed.

"Ne...Yuu…" Aiba said carefully.

"What's up?" Shirota inquired.

"A-no..." Aiba started, unsure whether to continue. "We haven't for a while... And I was wondering if..."

Shirota moved to face Aiba on the bed. "Did you want to?" he asked slyly.

Aiba blushed. "Well...I..." he stuttered out. "...sort of…"

"You didn't have to ask, you know..." Shirota stated as he placed his hand on Aiba's cheek and pressed his lips to his own before his other hand began exploring Aiba's body.

"Well I wouldn't-mmmph!" Aiba said as he was cut off by Shirota.

**Author's Note:**

> This was posted on FF.net a couple of years back on my account, and I wanted to relocate it here after I've made some edits to make the scene transitions flow much more fluidly than they did the last time, so expect updates to be a little slow.


End file.
